If the point is to keep anyone from playing leaked copies before the official launch, then I guess I have more respect than if it's just the usual post-hoc fixes for rushed development. Of course, that still isn't a whole lot of respect.

I will not be getting this game as I am sick to death of COD. The last one IW just left me cold.

I am playing Killing Floor 2. It is download only. So I do not expect to see the critic playing it but it is great. It was all a download.

But most games will work without the need for the internet if they are single player, but this is inexcusable because never a Call of Duty campaign in the series long history needed a day 1 update to be played as it is a scam!

Stalvern wrote:If the point is to keep anyone from playing leaked copies before the official launch, then I guess I have more respect than if it's just the usual post-hoc fixes for rushed development. Of course, that still isn't a whole lot of respect.

It could be either or because they may not want people playing the game to be leaked before the official launch, or to post-hoc fixes because the Call of Duty games come out before Veterans Day deadlines.

All games are NOT like this, but an increasing number of big-named titles are, particularly on the PS4 and Xbox One. The reason is pretty obvious. They need to get the game out in time for the holidays, but it's not ready when they manufacture the game. So they slap on the disc whatever they have and finish the testing in those extra few weeks. Then they put the onus on the player to update and repair their half-ass product.

For download-only games this is to be expected. Those games are designed to be played online. But when people buy a disc version of a game they are expecting it to work out of the box. Not only that, but they expect the game to be playable at any time in the future. To make a game like this dependent on a server, you are basically selling the customer a long-term rental at full price.

The publishers are getting the best of both worlds and it's the customer who suffers. Instead of going along with it I think it's time we called them out on this.